Legacy
by misscam
Summary: Jack's death has unforeseen consequences


It wasn't her bed. That was the first coherent thought that occurred to Alex St Clare as she struggled to get her eyes opened. It wasn't her bed, and she wasn't alone in it.

Her mind felt foggy in a way that meant only alcohol could be the cause. And heaps of it. She had to blink several times before the ceiling came into view, too bloody bright. The sun was shining on it, which explained why it was so bright.

She groaned, but the sound of her own voice was too loud. Closing her eyes, she tried to drift back to sleep until such a time her body had stopped protesting at the amounts of alcohol she'd put away the night before.

"Hmmm.." came the voice beside her, sounding as hazed as she felt.

She glanced over at the man in the bed and sighed deeply.

Bugger, bugger, bugger.

It had to be him she had slept with.

Bugger.

II

Legacy  
By Camilla Sandman

Disclaimer: Hal, my man, sure you could sue me, but I'm so nice to your characters, so why would you wanna do that?

Author's Note: Sugar sweetness ahoy! Believable? Probably not. But I need my sugar fix :)  
Spoilers for the final eps of season six

Saz my dear – you really have to stop corrupting me!

II

Seven weeks later

II

She wasn't sure how many tears she had cried all in all. It had been many at first, sobbing her way through the funeral, the days after, then it had gone on to quiet crying in the middle of the night and now it was brimming tears in her eyes that didn't quite begin to fall.

Jack Christey was dead.

It was hard to grasp, even three weeks after it had happened. Everyone was walking around in shock, especially Mick who seemed to shut everyone out. Emma had tried to reach him, but he'd gone on leave just after the funeral.

Alex had a fair idea why. She wanted to run away herself, somewhere where there were no memories, no thoughts, and no work..

She glanced over at the empty desk where Mick should be sitting. George were occupying Jack's desk, and she tried not to resent him for it. He was a nice enough bloke, which was why he could never fill Jack's shoes.

Jack was a jerk. And that was being nice. Still, there had been something damn.. Attractive about the guy.

Damn. The tears in her eyes were threatening to fall after all, and she quickly wiped them away with her sleeve. George was thoughtful enough not to look up.

"So, should we take Megan in for questioning again?" he asked after giving her enough time to compose herself.

She shook her head. "Give her some time to sweat."

"You really think she killed her own brother for the family business?"

"Motive, opportunity, no decent alibi.." Alex listed up. "She's our strongest suspect."

George just nodded, and she had to fight an urge to kick him. Jack would have protested, or at least made a smart-ass remark. And Mick.. Mick would have joked. She missed his jokes, she missed his smile.. She missed him.

Of course he had to bugger of on some damn guilt trip. From what she knew, he'd gone to visit his family. She wanted to call.. For what she wasn't sure, just to hear his voice maybe.. To know that she still had one of her partners.

Glancing over at George, she tried to focus on the case. They would nail Megan Atkinson for killing her brother, just as Jack would have.

Just without his attitude.

II

She headed off a few hours later, as the sky had turned dark and the city had lit up. She loved Sydney at night, and even now the beautiful scenery was a small comfort to her.

She wasn't sure what made stop by Mick's place. She was driving around a bit randomly, wondering whether to go home or hit the pub. Alcohol wasn't tempting for once. Maybe it was the grief, because she felt tired and beat and generally icky.

She noticed the light was on in his house, and without even thinking, she pulled in and got out of the car. 

"Michael?" she called out as she knocked on the door. There was a long silence within, finally footsteps came in her direction and the door was cracked open.

He looked like shit. When she had last seen him at the funeral, he'd seemed composed, giving both Emma and Donna a shoulder to cry on.. Now he just seemed.. Devastated.

"Alex.." he said quietly, not really looking at her as he opened the door and let her enter.

Walking into the living room, she spotted the broken glass at once scattered all over the floor. Under the pieces lay a picture of Mick and someone she guessed was a young Agi.

"Forgot to clean it up before I left," Mick muttered, dropping down on the couch.

She sat down beside him quietly, wondering what the hell to say.

"I knew him, Alex. Agi, I mean. I thought.."

"I know," she replied, reaching out to touch his hand without thinking. He flinched slightly, but after a heartbeat, he accepted the touch and even leaned against her shoulder.

"Where have you been?"

"Walkabout.." he said slowly. "I keep.. Thinking about it all. You and Gavin could have died too, all because.."

"Don't think like that," she said forcefully. "Jack made his own bloody choice, the stupid jerk."

He couldn't resist a small laugh.

"He was a bit of a jerk, wasn't he?"

"Yeah," she replied as he tilted his head to look at her. It occurred to her that he looked as sad as she felt, that his eyes were a mirror of her own.

She wasn't sure why she leaned forward and kissed him. There were several plausible explanations, mostly involving grief. It just felt right at that moment, she figured.

He parted his lips willingly for her, bringing a hand to her neck to put more force in the kiss. She twisted her body slightly to get more comfortable and ended up sitting halfway across his lap. Exploring his mouth was a slow, sensuous experience that seemed to fill her senses.

He let a hand trace the length of her leg, then up to her waist. She let out a small moan as his hand wandered over her breasts, stroking through the fabric.

She wasn't sure why she didn't stop it. It felt a bit distant somehow, like it wasn't her that tore her shirt of, like it wasn't her neck that Mick kissed so hard it bruised, like it wasn't her body that urged for more touches, like it wasn't her voice that cried out in the heat of passion.

But it was definitely her that fell asleep next to him, legs and arms still entwined.

II

She awoke a few hours later, her body sore and tingly, and her stomach in uproar. She barely managed to get to the bathroom before throwing up, curing the damn flu.

God, she needed a break. The thought of even getting on the Nemesis was enough to make her world spin again, but there was nothing more to throw up.

She heard Mick turn in his sleep, and she wondered what the hell she had done. Maybe it was grief and comfort and need, perhaps a mix of all three. She couldn't blame the alcohol for this mess, like she had when..

She managed to stop her trail of thought before the memory of a night seven weeks ago assaulted her. It had been buried so deep it was easy to push it back.

Gathering her clothes, she got dressed and slipped out quietly.

When Mick awoke, the house was quiet and empty. He stumbled into the living room, feeling like he had a hangover even if he'd had nothing to drink the night before. There was no sign of Alex, which could mean several things.

Neither was too promising. Bugger, he shouldn't have slept with her, but damnit, she had been so close and warm and wonderful.. And he was still a little bit in love with her.

He sighed, and began very slowly to pick up the glass from the floor. As he reached the photograph, he picked it up and stared at it.

Agi. Jack's killer.

Very, very slowly, he tore the photograph in two, in four, in eight, in sixteen.. In so many pieces it was impossible to tell what it was anymore.

Damn Agi. Damn Jack. He'd thought going away for a while would make it easier, but it didn't. Nothing would.

It was his fault.

He had protected Agi, and his career should have been over. Instead, Jack had stepped in. Mick had a fair idea why.

Rachel Goldstein. And Charlie Driscoll. Mick had covered for Jack, and Jack had decided to do the same.

But Jack had paid a much higher price.

It wasn't fair. But then again, life never was.

II

Alex wasn't at the Station when he arrived, according to Helen she had called in sick. He tried the cell phone, but only got her answering machine and he had no idea what to say, so he decided to bugger it.

The station was the same and yet not the same. There was no Jack around to shout, and there was an air of gloominess over them all. Much like the mood after Rachel had died, after Lance had died, and to a certain degree after they had learned of Dave McCall's death..

There was too much death on this station.

George filled him in on the case, and they brought Megan Atkinson in for questioning. She wasn't very cooperative, no surprises there. Killers usually weren't. There were no need leads, no witnesses stepping forward, and no incriminating evidence. All in all, the day was pretty much a waste.

"We need to find the gun," George complained. "Without it we have nothing."

"She might have dumped in the harbour," Mick suggested.

"She wouldn't have had the time to get back to the restaurant to close it up.. Nah, it's gotta be close by, we've had tails on her and she hasn't picked up any mysterious packages."

"She's waiting."

"Yeah.. So what's the deal with Alex today?"

"What do you mean?" Mick asked defensively.

"I figured she'd called you to say why she didn't come in today."

"No."

"Okay," George muttered, realising this was a subject he shouldn't press. Tempers around the station had been sore ever since.. Christey's death.

"Wanna get a drink?" George suggested, glancing out at the fading daylight.

"Yeah," Mick agreed, and they wandered out into the night.

II

Alex regretted the decision to come to the Cutter bar as soon as she entered. It was crowded and loud, and she really just wanted to fall asleep and wake up to find it had been a crazy dream.

But the doctor had adamant. There was no doubt about it.

Mick spotted her as soon as she entered, and excused himself from the table he was sitting at.

"Alex.."

"Michael, I'm just here to see Helen," she insisted, but he took her hand and led her to an empty table.

"We're gonna talk about this."

"I really don't think this is the time.."

"We have to talk about this," he insisted.

"This is not a good time," she replied desperately, feeling an urge to throw up.

"Why not? You're shunning away from me, Alex. We just slept together, we have to talk about it and.."

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out and the sentence seemed to hover in the air. She could see his eyes widen, but his expression froze, not showing much of anything.

"You're pregnant."

"Yeah."

"Who?" he simply asked, wanting to know and yet not wanting to know. 

"Jack."

His expression was still frozen, and she wondered if he'd even heard her. Then he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he avoided her gaze.

"You slept with Jack Christey?"

She swallowed, then nodded and he seemed to slump.

"Why?" he asked, not adding the extra 'why did you chose him and not me?', but she knew what he meant.

"We were drunk, Michael.. It sorta happened. You were with Emma at the time."

His head seemed to hang so low it was in danger of hitting the table.

"Did you know.. when we..?" his voice faltered, and he seemed to long for any kind of alcohol. For that matter, she wished she had some alcohol to drink too.

"No," she replied.

"I see."

"Michael.."

"No, really, I understand. You and Jack, meant to be. I was second best, wasn't I, Alex?" he shot at her, instantly regretting it when he saw the look of hurt flashing over her face.

"I.." he began, but had no idea how to finish it. Bloody Jack. Bloody goddamn Jack who'd decided to take on Agi. Bloody Alex.. Bloody mess.

He closed his eyes again and wished he'd never joined the bloody water police. His life had been going petty god until that point, now it was just..

Neither said anything, staring at the table. Around them, the rest of the police station was getting increasingly pissed and loud.

Suddenly, the noise and smell as too much for Alex. Holding a hand to her mouth, she ran out and managed to get halfway towards the pier before throwing up.

She instantly felt better, taking a few deep breaths of cool air. Her legs were shaking, and she was relieved when warm hands came to rest on her back and support her.

It was Helen, smiling slightly, but looking worried.

"You okay, Alex?"

"Yeah," Alex replied weakly, glancing towards the bar to see Mick standing outside. He was looking at her, but made no signs towards coming any closer.

"You don't look too good."

"I'm fine."

Helen didn't seem to buy it, but didn't press the subject, probably assuming that it was too much alcohol. Alex wished that was the case, she'd do almost anything for the haze of alcohol just then. But of course, she couldn't drink. Not with a baby in her.

Throwing one last look at her, Mick walked back in and she didn't call after him. Leaning against Helen, she couldn't withhold a small cry of pain.

"I know. I miss Jack too," Helen muttered, and held Alex gently. For a second Alex was about to reveal what was really wrong, then she closed her mouth.

Damn Jack Christey.

II

She wasn't sure what to expect from Mick the following days, but what she got still hurt. He called her "St Clare", his eyes were cold when he looked at her and he treated her like she had just arrived and he didn't know her. Even George seemed to sense something was amiss, generally acting as the link between them.

And while Mick's attitude hurt more than she could imagine, Alex had bigger worries. She had no idea what to do.

She was pregnant. And the father was long gone, her brother was out of town, her sister was busy.. Never before had Alex felt so alone. She had no idea who to call, who to ask for advice. Whenever she tried to tell someone, her mind seemed to freeze up.

And in between it all, she missed Jack horribly and she desperately wanted Mick to hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be fine.

She didn't even know how she felt about Jack. He could be the most annoying bastard sometimes.. But now she had a bit of him growing in her and she couldn't imagine getting rid of it. For better or worse, she had to have this baby.

She just couldn't see herself do it. Which is why she said nothing, and kept on working like normal.

Megan Atkinson was still not giving away any clues and it was frustrating for all of them. Tension was mouthing too, and by the end of the week it was so bad it gave her a headache just to be in the same room as Mick.

It sparked some interesting gossip. She pretended not to hear as well as she could. If anyone figured out she was pregnant, there would be no end to it.

Then, as often is the case, things got worse.

It was a week after she had learned of her pregnancy, and Megan Atkinson had finally began to crack. She was walking by a certain park a lot, throwing glances around her every time.

Searching the park, they found a gun. Not surprisingly, it was the murder weapon. And a partial fingerprint belonging to Megan was on it.

One arrest order later they were at her door and that's when things went wrong.

Megan Atkinson did like most killers did when confronted by evidence. She tried to bolt.

Alex was covering the rear of the house, and Megan came right at her, knife gleaming.

It happened very fast. Alex managed to get one shot off as the woman jumped on her, and they tumbled around. Lifting her knife, Megan was ready to stab when Mick tackled her, screaming in pain when the knife sliced into him.

For a moment he looked Alex straight in the eyes, and his eyes were no longer cold, just desperate with concern.

Megan looked surprised, pulling her knife out as Mick collapsed and turning to Alex again.

Too late. Alex had already aimed again. This time her shot hit home, straight in the chest and Megan made a sound much like the air going out of a balloon.

"MICK!" Alex screamed, dropping her gun and cradling him in her arms. He was bleeding badly, and she quickly had blood all over her. He worked his mouth trying to say something, but no sound came out.

"Hush," she muttered, "Don't speak, okay?"

She heard George a few metres away calling for an ambulance.

"They'll be here soon," she promised Mick. "Just keep looking at me."

But his eyes seemed to cloud over, and they drifted shut even as she screamed his name again.

II

It took Mick several minutes to get his eyes open when he realised he was awake. His eyelids were damn heavy, and his body was distant in a way that could only been drugs.

The first thing that came into view was a very bright light. And an unfamiliar face shining that light in his eyes.

"Hello, Mr Reilly," the woman greeted. "I am doctor Shinnon. Could you wriggle your fingers for me?"

He did as he was told, letting his gaze wander to the rest of the room. And there was Alex, leaning against the wall. She looked like hell, he noticed.

"Good, good," the doctor said. "No nerve damage as far as I can tell. You were lucky."

"What.."

"You were stabbed, " Alex answered, and she seemed slightly mad.

"Yes, I will let you two have a chat," the doctor said friendly. "Don't wear him out."

There was a tense silence as the doctor left, and Mick could feel a headache coming on.

"What the hell were you doing?" Alex finally asked in a low, calm voice that suggested she would rather shout.

"She had a knife on you."

"I had a clear aim at her!"

"She could have hurt the baby," Mick countered and for a moment Alex was speechless.

"You could have shot!" she shouted, then lowered her voice. "Why the hell didn't you just shoot her?"

"I could have hit you!" he replied, feeling the headache come on. How could he possibly explain to her that dead fear that had beset him at that moment? 

"Do you trust me, Michael? I had a clear aim, I would have shot her."

"She would have stabbed you first. Alex.. It's not about trust. I owe Jack a life."

Her expression changed, flickering from anger to sadness to despair and back to anger.

"Aw, shit, Mick.."

He closed his eyes, wondering if she understood. Jack had died to protect him, so Mick intended to protect his baby. Even if just thinking about it made his heart leap painfully.

"We can't keep this on. We work together, damnit. Either we act as partners, or one of us transfers out," Alex said, sounding just tired now. He opened his eyes to see that she had moved next to the bed and was sitting down.

"I don't know if I can handle it."

"Then I guess that's it."

"Alex.." he paused, images of Jack filling his mind suddenly. He was being selfish. He owed it to Jack to make sure the baby was fine, no matter how painful it would be.

"I'm willing to try."

"Okay," she replied slowly. "You and I are partners and we're gonna behave accordingly."

"Yeah.." he muttered, then looked at her intently. "You have to take a desk job, Alex. It's too dangerous with the baby and all."

"Fine.. You don't treat me like a baby and I will."

"Okay."

They looked at each other, and Mick found himself wanting to sweep her into his arms and kiss her breathless; baby or no baby.

Of course he couldn't. 

"So we agree then?"

"Yeah," he nodded, and wondered if he was mad. Being around Alex without touching her now that he knew what really touching her was like would be hell.

But for Jack.. he'd do it for Jack.

II

The tension didn't go away, but it faded slowly as Mick went back to work some weeks later. Alex would catch Mick looking at her sometimes with a look she was afraid to read. And Mick would catch Alex sometimes reaching out to touch him, but withdrawing her hand like she'd been burned.

The rumours didn't die away either, especially when Alex went off active duty and it didn't take a genius to work it out. The identity of the father however, was a matter for discussion. Many were beating on Mick, seeing how he was always hovering over her and his attraction for her was obvious.

Helen who knew, kept wisely quiet. Jeff kept his guesses to himself. And while the whole station watched Alex and Mick stepped carefully around each other.

It took weeks before they could talk about anything not work related without any awkward silences. It took even longer before they started hanging out together after work, just one day Mick offered a ride home and she accepted. A few days later it was a doctors appointment. Then he took her for lunch. Slowly, but surely, they began spending time together again.

It wasn't without awkwardness, especially as the signs of pregnancy began to show on Alex. Sometimes Mick would wake up and curse the baby, until one day he stumbled over pictures from the ultrasound.

He'd come over to bring Alex some food, and when she had to answer nature's call, he peaked through the files on her table. And there they were. Pictures of a miracle. He stared in wonder, not even hearing Alex walking back into the room.

"I had them a week ago," she said quietly.

"It's so small," he said in awe.

"It's growing fast," she replied, sitting down beside him.

"Wow.."

"Yeah.."

"It's pretty amazing," he said softly, glancing over at her growing belly. She nodded, and when he carefully reached out to touch her belly, she didn't stop him. The touch lingered there, and the way he looked at her made her skin tingle.

"I should probably go.." he muttered.

"Not unless you want to. Michael.. We're partners.. We're friends."

"I don't know how to be your friend, Alex."

"You have been."

"Nah," he shook his head. "See, I always thought that if I stayed close enough, that one day.. You and me, it would happen."

She closed her eyes briefly, but found she wasn't really surprised. She had noticed the look he had given her. She'd just.. Decided to let it pass.

"Why did you and Jack.. you know?"

"I was drunk, he was drunk, it seemed like a good idea.. We woke up and found out it wasn't. I think he wanted to pursue it, but.. I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because we were partners and worked together."

"Was that the only reason?"

She looked over at him, and not for the fist time she wondered if that had been all. Sure, she'd been attracted to Jack in a weird way, but she'd also been..

"No, it wasn't the only reason."

Their gazes met, and their hands touched ever so slightly, before Mick suddenly got up.

"I really should go," he said hastily. "I have to go, or I'll.. Yeah, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you," she replied, looking after him as he walked out. 

Bugger.

II

She half expected Mick to withdraw again after that incident, but he didn't. In fact, he began to hover over her even more. He'd insist on making her dinner, showed a huge interest in the well being of the unborn baby, she even caught him reading a book about childbirth.

All this led to more rumours of course, but Alex found she didn't care that much. It was cute, in a way. Sometimes she found herself wondering what Jack would have said.. Or what Sophie would say. She had buggered off for a year to London, to get away from it all, Alex suspected. There had been a bit of media attention, and losing a father just as you'd got to know him, would be fairly tough.

Helen proved to be an invaluable friend, proving to be someone Alex could go and vent to, or just simply complain about the weight gain, the baby kicking like it was training to be a footy player or the stares the rest of the stations were giving her.

Mick gave many a guy an earful at the Cutter bar about just that, she knew, but even he couldn't stop all of it. He even tried to cheer her up one particular morning she was feeling like a whale.

"I'm fat," she announced as she dropped down on her chair miserably. George wisely hid behind a file, but Mick couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"You're beautiful."

"Oh, shut up Michael."

"No, you are."

"I'm huge."

"No, you're just.. A bit big."

"A bit big?" she echoed. "Don't try to cheer me up."

"I'm not, I'm just.." he caught her glance, and the sentence died away. George sniggered behind his file, and Alex sent him a nasty glance too.

"Temper.." George muttered under his breath, and ducked the incoming paper thrown at him.

But most of the time, it wasn't too bad at the office. George as a nice bloke, and things were peaceful and calm. No big dramas, and the two guys were good eye candy. It was something to look at while doing endless amounts of paperwork.

She had nightmares about the mountains of paper sometimes, and the guys had the guts to try and dump some of theirs on her. Mick was incorrigible, putting little piles on her desk constantly with smiley faces. Like the smiley faces would make her do his paperwork.

It became a bit of a habit of throwing little paper balls at him, and he always seemed to make her up end up smiling in the end (after he wisely never commented on her size again). Soon his presence was enough to make her smile, and it seemed natural to spend each evening with him.

Sometimes, as they said goodnight, he'd look at her so intently she got lost in his gaze. But he never pressured her, never touched her except to sometimes put a hand on her arm reassuringly.

He went with her to look at baby cradles and clothes, and of course, on one of those days they ran into Emma. A few looks were exchanged, before Emma just turned and walked.

"You and her still not speaking?" Alex asked.

"She's angry."

"Because of the break-up."

"Because she thinks I'm the father."

There was a tense silence as they both stopped walking, Mick looking down at the pavement.

"I haven't really denied it, so.."

"Michael.."

"I know, I know, I should have, I just.."

"No, no," she shook her head. "Listen.. You've been great. I don't know how I'd done this without you. I'll tell Emma, and I'll make you look really good and she'll come running back."

"You don't have to, Alex."

"I know, but.."

"No." He turned to look at her. "You don't have to. Em and I.. That's over. We're not going to get back together, even if you did tell her I wasn't the father."

"I don't want to be in your way."

"Alex.." he said frustrated. "We slept together, and I know there's the baby and everything. But I can't forget how it felt like to kiss you and.."

She bit her lip as he trailed off. She wished she could forget it herself, as she had pretended to, but.. Shit..

"I'm sorry," he offered, turning to walk away. She grabbed his hand before he could get very far and faced him with a determined look on her face.

"Don't you dare walk away, Mick! You've bloody been here for me all these months and I'm gonna have that baby soon and you're gonna be there, you hear me?"

"But.."

"You said you were willing to give it a try, remember?"

"I have!" he defended himself with.

"I thought you cared!"

"I do!"

"So why the hell are you walking away?"

"Because I love you!" he snapped, freezing as soon as he'd uttered the words. Bugger. Bugger. Bugger!

"Is that so?" she said calmly, still not letting go of his hand.

"Yeah," he muttered, looking down. He'd ruined it now for sure, he'd never get to hold her baby or teach it footy or..

He was caught completely off balance when she kissed him. He was suddenly aware of warm lips pressing against his and that the hand on his arm had gone around his neck. He didn't know what to do for a few seconds, but his body responded on its own accord. She parted her lips for him, and he let out a sigh at the sweet familiarity of her kiss.

When she broke it off, she was smiling.

"You are an idiot, Mick."

"What?"

"Do you think I would be spending time with you if I didn't want to? That I was substituting you for Jack?"

"Thought crossed my mind," he admitted.

"You're wrong. If Jack was here I hope he would have done his part, but he's not. You are here, and I've been falling for you, Michael Reilly, not the ghost of Jack. So you better stick around."

He was speechless for a second, the a slow smile spread over his face.

"I better stick around then."

II

And he did. The last month of the pregnancy he was there all the time, helping her decorate what would be the baby's room and just.. Being there. She half wondered if he was as anxiously awaiting the baby as she was.

And the date for when the baby was supposed to want to come out came and went. The doctor assured her it was normal that some babies were overdue, and the best thing to do was just wait.

Mick came to stay with her. She didn't really ask, but it just seemed natural.

"I wish it would just pop out already!" she complained as he was giving her tired feet a massage.

"They say any day now."

"Yeah, I know, I got a bag ready and packed by the door. I just hate waiting."

"Yeah.." he replied, stroking her leg. "It's gonna be so strange when it's born.."

"Things will be a lot different," she said thoughtfully.

"Sure will be.." 

She looked over at him, wondering just how different it would be. He gave her a soft smile.

"I'll be here till you kick me out."

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise."

He kissed her ever so softly, just a second of lips touching lips before he pulled back. He reached out to touch her belly, stroking it slowly as the baby kicked.

His eyes widened in amazement.

"It's alive!"

She smiled, putting her hand on his as the bay kicked once more.

"What, you thought it came alive when it came out? Of course it's alive, Michael."

"I know," he defended himself with, "I just.. It's so great, I can feel it kick.."

He looked into her eyes again, resting his other hand on her cheek.

"It's amazing, Alex," he whispered, leaning forward again. She closed her eyes as their lips brushed against each other again, gently at first, slowly becoming more daring. His hand stayed on her belly, making slow circles. He giggled into her mouth as he felt the baby kick again.

"I think he's cheering," he commented, and leaned down to kiss the spot where he'd felt the baby kick.

"How do you know it's a he?"

"With a kick like that, it must be."

"Oh, shut up Michael," she replied, and he smiled.

"If you say so.."

And with that, he recaptured her mouth, more eagerly this time. She soon found herself out of breath, leaning back against the couch as his hands begun to do a fair bit of wandering. She was totally unprepared when he suddenly pulled back.

"What's wrong?"

"You're pregnant.."

"Yes, I have noticed that too."

"Yeah, but we can't really.. I mean.."

She smiled, then took his head in her hands and looked him firmly in the eyes. "No reason to stop kissing me, Michael."

"You sure?"

"Yes," she whispered intently and kissed him.

II

When she woke the morning after, still on the couch with Mick's arms around her, she realised she hadn't "just kissed" for a whole night since she'd been a teenager. It had been wonderful and frustrating and very promising.

And the baby had been very active. Getting unsteadily to her feet, she suddenly nearly fell over with pain.

"Shit!" she cursed and Mick's eyes flew open. 

"It's not the baby is it?"

She nodded, and he got up from the couch in a second, rushing to supporting her.

"I think my water just broke," she muttered through clenched teeth.

"Okay, okay, that's okay, we can get to the hospital in a matter of minutes, I've timed it, everything's under control, just breathe.." he said as assuring as he could while walking out and to the car, grabbing her bag on the way.

"Shut up and drive."

"Gotcha."

They managed to get to the hospital fairly quickly, despite morning traffic. But when they got there, the doctor assured them the baby wasn't coming for a few hours yet.

And they waited, while Alex cursed Jack more and more loudly.

"Oh, I should have killed him!" she panted as a contraction hit.

"Just breathe.." Mick said, trying to remember the breathing technique he'd read about.

"You try doing this!"

"Don't have the equipment for it.."

She just groaned, dipping her fingernails so hard into his arm he nearly yelped in pain.

"Shouldn't be long now," the nurse said reassuringly.

"Better – not," Alex groaned, exhaling as the contraction stopped.

It didn't take that much longer, even if it felt like it. She just clung onto Mick's arm and swore she would never have sex ever again as the contractions intensified. 

"Push!" he urged her, and she screamed as it felt like her body was tearing in two. Seconds later, a small cry filled the room.

"It's a girl!" the doctor declared, and Mick went wide-eyed as he stared at the little being lifted up and wiped cleaned.

"It's a girl," he whispered to Alex, wiping sweat of her brow. She smiled, a tired smile but happy smile. She leaned back against the pillow and smiled up at the ceiling.

'You have another daughter, Jack,' she thought.

II

The whole station came to visit, bringing flowers and everything. Gavin made an attempt to get out of her if Mick was the father or not, but a stern look from Helen discouraged him from further attempts.

And she finally got to hold her baby. It was so small she had to smile every time she looked at the tiny fingers.

Mick came a few minutes later, having changed, and brought with him the biggest bunch of flowers.

"Hey," she greeted him, slowly rocking her baby back and forth.

"Hey you and you," he replied, putting down the flowers. He was grinning idiotically, and finally revealed the pink teddy bear he'd bought.

"Thanks," she smiled, and he sat down in the chair next to her and stared at the bundle in her arms.

"Decided what to call her yet?"

She shook her head. "No.. I wanna give her a good name, something Jack would have liked."

His smile flickered for the briefest second, then he nodded.

"She's beautiful.. Must be your genes, I know it can't be Jack's," he joked lighting the mood somewhat.

She shook her head, then looked into his smiling face.

"You're okay with this? I mean, really?" she asked, realising it was very important to her that he was. Oh, she didn't doubt his feelings for her, but if he was to be in her life.. The baby would be there, and it could be an obstacle.

He took a while to answer, looking down at the bundle in her arms. Then he climbed up in the bed next to her, putting an arm around her.

"Yeah, I am now.. I was jealous, Alex. This baby is a bond between you and Jack, and I was bloody jealous and hurt. But.. You know, it's your baby. You could have a baby with Rupert Murdoch and I'd still bloody love ya.."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult," she countered, but the smile on her face gave her away. He smiled back, and she couldn't possibly resist kissing the wonderful lips of his.

"Just don't do it to me again, would you Alex?"

"Stay close enough, and I won't have to."

She leaned her forehead against his as they regarded the baby.

"I have an idea," he said slowly. "I think Jack might have liked.. Rachel."

"Rachel," she repeated.

"Yeah.."

"I like it," she decided. "Do you think Goldstein would have minded?"

"No.. You and her would have got along, as long as you let her drive of course," he chuckled, and she looked at him funnily. But he didn't explain, and she decided she'd have to pump him for information later on. Understanding who Rachel was could very well be the key to understanding Jack better so one day she could tell little Rachel about him.

This kid would have two fathers, she figured. She had been amazingly lucky. Mick was smiling at the baby and letting her hold one of his fingers, and Alex felt her heart warm.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

His smile grew wider, if that was even possible and he impulsively leaned forward and kissed her. He hoped Jack would have understood. The guy had loved Rachel so much, somehow Mick thought he would have understood. After he'd stopped being stubborn, that was

"Do you think that maybe one day you and I will have a kid?"

"What, do all that again?" she joked. "You'd have to do some serious persuading."

"I think she wants to sleep," he remarked, looking down at little Rachel. Alex too, looked beat. He gently lifted the baby back into the cradle, and put his arms around Alex.

"You should sleep.. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he whispered. He watched her close her eyes and drift into sleep, and soon her steady breathing told him she slept.

"Thanks Jack," he muttered, and lay awake as the two most precious people in his life slept peacefully.

II

FIN


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